Be like that
by TADAHmon
Summary: Based off of Be like that by 3 doors down. I've never done a song fic before, so please, I hope you readers enjoy this short story.


Song fic. Set to "Be like that" by Three doors down.  
  
Me... own.... the world!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AGH!!!! *falls to the ground* @_@ Me own nothing...  
  
He spends his nights in California,   
watching  
The stars on the big screen  
  
Arnie glanced away from the t.v. screen, and watched his cousin stare into the eyes of Helga. Arnold and Helga had been a couple for a few years now, although it was a long distant relationship, what with the fact that he had moved to Washington D.C. with his parents and she stayed here, with her parents.  
"I'm missed you alot, Helga," He tells her earnestly, then kisses her on the lips.  
She smiles and kisses him back, murmuring, "I've missed you too, Football Head." The old nickname was said with more loving and consideration now. She had changed a lot since he had convinced her not to keep her secret inside. She didn't wear her heart out on her sleeve, of course, but she wasn't so stressed and smiled more often. Her long blonde hair sweeped down her thin shoulders, no longer held by the pink bow. A light pink, almost pastel, shirt with blue jeans covered her, the pink dress she wore at the age of nine long ago abandoned.  
  
Then he lies awake and he wonders,   
why  
Can't that be me  
  
That night, Arnie laid in the guest room, unable to sleep. "Why can't that be me? I always loved Helga, ever since I was nine." He still liked plain things, like the tasteless gum, and reading ingredients off of food packages, but his mind ran a slightly more complicated pattern. He didn't understand the feelings of love that ran through him for Helga, and the feelings of jealously that streamed through him for Arnold. Perhaps he hadn't matured like most fifteen year olds had, but he knew what he was feeling.  
  
Cause in his life he is   
filled with all these  
Good intentions  
  
Arnie was a good kid, though, and he saw that Helga made Arnold quite happy, and Arnold made her happy so he kept quiet. No way would he hurt his cousin by saying that he loved his girlfriend. No freaking way. It made him sick to even think about it. His family didn't like him much anyhow, him being a plain little weird boy with not much hope of an impressive, high paying future. He knew that if he even tried stealing Arnold's love, he would be the phariah in his own family. He sniffed lightly, ignoring the tears that pricked at his emotionless eyes.  
  
He's left a lot of things   
he'd rather not  
Mention right now  
  
Suddenly, laying there, his thoughts wandered to... Lila. He hadn't thought of her in months. He wondered how she was doing. He felt guilt on how he had left her alone at the cafeteria, just to go over and talk with Helga, then be rejected by her. He had never really thought about it, but now that he was fighting a hurting heart, he knew how she must have felt. And for him, no less. How could someone ever love him? She was a sweet girl, always kind to him. He pulled something out of his pocket and stared at it, thinking back.  
"Arnie, I want you... to take this, and never forget me, please? Oh, I know I will oh so always think of you," She murmured through her tears, handing him the French peanuts that she had bought him just so he could read the ingredients in a different language. After this, she ran off, her braids swishing back and forth as he stared down at the package in his hands.  
"I'm sorry, Lila," He had muttered, then snorted. It mirrored his exact feelings right now. If he had stayed with Lila, maybe his feelings for Helga wouldn't've grown like they had.   
  
But just before he says   
goodnight, he looks  
Up with a little smile   
at me,   
  
As he laid there, snorting, he looked out the opened window that was just across from the bed, staring at the low quarter moon. He smiled at it slightly, and rolled over onto his side, facing the plain white wall, mumbling in his sleep.  
  
and he says  
  
If I could be like that,   
I would   
Give anything  
Just to live one day,   
in those shoes  
If I could be like that,   
what would I do  
What would I do  
  
Now and dreams we run  
  
*~*  
  
  
She spends her days up in the north park,  
Watching the people as they pass  
  
Lila was sitting on a bench at the park, deeply asleep, dreaming sweet dreams. Ones of her father, her mother, being back at the farm with her horse. Ones of, even, Arnie, whom she hadn't had time to think of lately. When she was eleven, her father was killed in a drive-by shooting. She spent a year in a horrible orphan's home, till she was twelve and managed to escape. Ever since then, she lived in the park, living the life of a simple homeless child. No one took any notice to her. She begged for food and certain people, especially older ladies who took walks there, felt sympathy for her and gave her food and money. Her red hair hung shaggily down past her shoulders. Just recently, she was able to cut her hair with a pair of scissors she had begged from someone, cutting it right at her shoulders. It hadn't had a trim in forever and was flowing past her thighs by then so it truly needed the cut.  
  
And all she wants is just a little piece of  
This dream, is that too much to ask  
  
A couple minutes later, she woke up and stretched groggily, rubbing her eyes with her hands. Her dress was just covered in different things; the elements had soiled its once fine green fabric. Suddenly, she gasped and ran to hide behind some bushes in horror, gaping at the two as Arnold and Helga walked by hand in hand through the park. "Oh, my, that was ever so close," She gasped, breathing in and out rapidly. As she relaxed, she stared at them, jealousy wallowing in her deep green eyes. She knew everything: their trip to Africa where Helga helped him find his parents, and then he moved away, yet they stayed together, and that he came once every month to visit her for at least one weekend, longer if it was summer.  
  
With a safe home, and a warm bed, on a   
Quiet little street  
  
Suddenly she started sobbing. Deep sobs that racked her whole body. She had been holding it in for oh so long, that although it hurt to cry, it also was a relief. She cried for her daddy, and her mom, and the farm they had lost, and everything else and the fact that she was a homeless little orphan that had to beg to get anything now. Suddenly, she felt two arms wrap around her, and looked up at the person gripping her close to him.  
"Hello, Lila," Arnie murmured, snorting a little.  
  
All she wants is just that something to   
Hold onto, that's all she needs  
  
Yeah!  
  
"Ar- Arnie?" She managed to weep, before collapsing into his arms and sobbing loudly into his shirt.  
"I'm here, Lila... I'm here..." He hugged her close, massaging her back until the tears subsided somewhat.  
"Arnie, it's just been ever so awful!" She weeped, wiping her eyes and sitting up.  
"Tell me, Lila," He encouraged, wringing out his drenched shirt.  
"Well, ok..."  
  
  
If I could be like that, I would   
Give anything  
Just to live a day, in those shoes  
If I could be like that, what would I do,  
What would I do  
  
That night, Arnie led a happy Lila into the kitchen of the boarding house, actually smiling. He just blinked, one eye at a time, till Lila spoke up.   
"Uh, hello."  
At this, all of the boarders, Phil, Gertie, Helga, who had been invited to dinner, as always, and Arnold looked up at her. "Hi, Lila," The latter answered.  
"Hey, Lila," Helga murmured, staring at her. Even though Helga didn't hate her anymore, she was uncertain whether to trust her.  
"Well, uhm, I just wanted to let you all know that I'm going to go to Arnie's farm to live with him and his family." She smiled nervously.  
  
I'm falling into this, in dreams  
We run away,  
  
"Really?" Arnold had a look of amazement on his face. "Why?"  
"Well, I have no other place to go, Arnold, and Arnie has offered ever so graciously for me to move in with him so how could I refuse?"  
"Oh, gag me with a spoon," Helga thought, returning back to her old self momentarily.  
"Well, I'm glad for you, Lila. I knew how much you missed your farm," Arnold commented, holding onto Helga's hand under the table. He clasped her hand because she was looking a little mad that he kept talking to his old crush.  
"Yes, it's ever so wonderful," Lila commented, and kissed Arnie on the nose out of plain happiness.  
He blushed scarlett and blinked a little, one eye at a time, as usual.  
  
falling in   
I feel I am falling in, to this again.  
  
The end.  
  
My first song fic. Might be, in Helga's words, total crapola...  
  
Helga: It is.  
  
... But hey, I'm stilll getting used to these kinds of things, and I dunno; they only showed Arnie one episode, and I haven't seen Arnold visits Arnie yet, so...  
  
Helga: Well, you just had to accidently mess your recording times up and record the Rugrats instead of AVA, huh?  
  
I thought I had it correct...  
  
Helga: Yeah, whatever, Bucko. Still missed the episode though, didn't ya?  
  
No comment... ;_; 


End file.
